Penn State University Libraries - Dissertations and Theses

• Other National Library of Theses and Dissertations member institutions have made their graduates' work available electronically. Please check the list of NDLTD participants to view other electronic dissertation resources.
• Abes: Agence Bibliographique de l'Enseignement Superieur
  Citations to French dissertations.
  
• Australasian Digital Theses Program
  Both citation and full-text access to a few thousand theses and dissertations published in Australia.
  
• The British Library
  The British Library provides access to citations of theses from British universities (most doctoral theses from the early 1970s onward), from the United States (475,000 doctoral theses), and from Canada (several hundred doctoral theses from 1980 forward).
• Index to theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by the universities of Great Britain and Ireland and the Council for National Academic Awards
  A comprehensive listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716.
• Center for Research Libraries Foreign Dissertation Database
  This site offers bibliographic access to a collection of over 750,000 foreign dissertations held by the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago. To borrow a copy of a dissertation from CRL, please place an Interlibrary Loan request at your library.
• Theses Canada Portal
  Launched by National Library of Canada. A website that provides free access to 46,000 full text electronic Canadian theses. Searching of over 220,000 Canadian theses held by the Library and Archives Canada is also available.
• DART Europe E-Theses Portal
  DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses. Organiztions from nearly 20 European countries participate. DART is the European working group of the NDLTP.

Thesis/Dissertation FAQs

• Does the CAT list all PSU dissertations and theses?
  No. We have lost some over the years and the CAT only lists what we still have in the collection.
• If I search by the format, “Masters thesis” will I get all the masters theses owned by the Libraries?
  No. Some of our theses and dissertations are only owned in a microformat and our system cannot assign multiple item types to a record, so if the title is only owned in microfilm, the format will say “Micro” and not “Masters thesis.” Also, if we have purchased a thesis from another university, it may have the format of ‘book’ rather than ‘thesis.’
• Can I get a list of all the theses or dissertations overseen by a particular advisor?
  This isn’t really possible using the CAT since the advisor has only recently been routinely added to the information in the catalog record. You can get this information for dissertations using the Dissertations & Theses database. This information is also available in the printed “Research publications and professional activities,” which was published annually from 1930-1984.
• Can I get a list of all the theses and/or dissertations from a particular department?
  You can identify titles by searching the CAT by the name of the department or program. Be aware that these names have changed over time so you may have to perform multiple searches.
  
  • (Searching hint: Do a keyword search for "[program name] {699}" For example- Meteorology {699}. This retreives all thesis-like items in the CAT for that program, i.e., doctoral, masters, and bachelors works.)
  • Check this page:
    
  http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/dissertations/deptnames.html,
  listing of the departmental name changes that occured through 1980.
• Are theses and dissertations shelved with the books?
  No. Most theses/dissertations are shelved separately and aren’t assigned regular call numbers or subject headings.  
  

The Penn State Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) repository questions

• Are all PSU theses and dissertations in the repository?
  No. Prior to 2009, students could choose to use the ETD. Following this date, all official theses and dissertations will be placed in the repository. Bachelor and scholar theses are not included (yet).
• Are CAT records for ETDs sent to WorldCAT?
  Yes.
• How long before a record shows up in the CAT for a title in the ETD?
  If a title is restricted, it will not appear in the CAT until it is un-restricted. For open titles, it can be six months or more.
• Why are some titles restricted?
  This typically occurs for intellectual property reasons. For example, the title may contain information related to a patent application. The ETD system generally un-restricts materials after 2 years (authors can request an extension).
• If the restricted title is “Penn State use only,” can it be accessed by the public or via InterLibrary Loan?
  No. Nor can it be accessed by someone with a Friends of Penn State account.  Nor are these viewable at Visitor’s Stations (formerly LIAS Express machines).
• What if a Penn State person cannot access a “Penn State use only” title?
  Check to see if another Penn State person can access the file. Have the person log into Angel to see if their Access ID is o.k. If that is working, then check their status in LDAP (the university’s online directory). If their affiliation doesn’t indicate student/staff/faculty then they will not be able to access the ETD. For example, sometimes you will see a status of MEMBER, which can apply to legitimate PSU employees (some part-time employees, visiting scholars, etc.). The affiliation field in LDAP is controlled by HR and/or the Registrar depending on the person’s status.  That person’s Human Resources rep. can correct their LDAP entry.